A fire that began on Sheepback Mountain in Maggie Valley Monday afternoon has grown to 50-75 acres as of 8:40 p.m.
The fire has led to evacuations of the area above Pless Underwood Road. A reunification center has been established at Cavalry Road Baptist Church.
While some property may be damaged, Haywood County Emergency Services Public Information Officer Allison Richmond said no homes have been destroyed, adding that personnel are literally stationed in driveways to protect houses.
Richmond said that firefighters began a 12-hour shift around the time the fire sparked up and will likely be relieved in the morning. She added that aircraft continue to dump water on the flames, a helicopter picking water up from Lake Junaluska while two air tankers are coming back and forth from Asheville.
“They’re strategically dropping water, and we have crews to try to keep the boundaries,” she said.
As of Monday evening, there is no word on containment.
